{"id":2231,"date":"2013-11-06T06:47:57","date_gmt":"2013-11-06T13:47:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=2231"},"modified":"2013-11-05T13:48:58","modified_gmt":"2013-11-05T20:48:58","slug":"draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/","title":{"rendered":"Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anthony Osborn – October 23, 2013<\/p>\n

As most people reading this blog post are aware, construction lawsuits can trigger seemingly countless insurance coverage issues. For example, were the alleged damages caused by an \u201coccurrence\u201d as defined in the contractor\u2019s insurance policy? If so, did the damages begin and\/or end during different years, thereby triggering multiple insurance policies? In addition, did the damages stem from more than one \u201coccurrence,\u201d thereby potentially leading to an increase in applicable policy limits?<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the \u201cexclusions\u201d found in a contractor\u2019s insurance policy can be critical. For example, most standard Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies exclude coverage for damages stemming from the insured\u2019s errors or mistakes of a professional nature (e.g., damages which would likely be covered by an Errors & Omissions or other malpractice-type insurance policy). In addition, CGL policies typically exclude coverage for damage to \u201cyour work\u201d or \u201cyour product.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you are drafting a complaint, it is important to draft it in a fashion which triggers an insurer’s duty to defend, if at all possible; some contractors are judgment proof so, in the absence of insurance, your client might not otherwise have any recourse from a practical standpoint. Insurance can be a game-changer.<\/p>\n

Of course, all claims must be asserted in good faith and there will be times when you cannot draft allegations sufficient to trigger insurance coverage. However, in many instances, a complaint can be pleaded\u00a0properly and in good faith to trigger an insurer’s broad duty to defend and corresponding duty to indemnify. For example, if you represent an owner suing a general contractor, you can avoid issues regarding the “your work” and “your product” exclusions by including allegations that the defendant’s negligence caused damage to the work and\/or product of another contractor(s) or caused damage to the owner’s property. Sometimes, you must be creative; however, being creative can require you to take a close look at your allegations because they must be asserted in good faith and without violating your ethical obligations. In addition, you can trigger multiple insurance policies by alleging a continuing loss over several years. If you believe in good faith a loss started three or four years ago, plead it. Don’t limit yourself.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, be careful with the manner in which you describe the defendant-contractor’s actions. For example, coverage might be denied if you allege that the damages resulted from the contractor’s decision to use a certain process or particular type of design or material, because the contractor’s decision could be interpreted as an intentional act. If so, coverage might be denied due to the lack of an “occurrence” which is typically defined as an “accident,” and might also be denied due to an “intentional acts” exclusion, which, as the name suggests, excludes coverage for damages stemming from an insured’s deliberate actions.<\/p>\n

While each dispute is different, most if not all complaints should be drafted with an eye towards insurance coverage. It is much easier to draft a broad complaint and trigger coverage than it is to sue a contractor, find out its insurer denied coverage, and then try to amend your complaint to trigger the insurance policy. Do it right the first time.<\/p>\n

via The Dispute Resolver<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anthony Osborn – October 23, 2013 As most people reading this blog post are aware, construction lawsuits can trigger seemingly countless insurance coverage issues. For example, were the alleged damages caused by an \u201coccurrence\u201d as defined in the contractor\u2019s insurance policy? If so, did the damages begin and\/or end during different years, thereby triggering multiple… Continue reading Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[172,10,30,3],"tags":[309,179,27,57,23],"class_list":["post-2231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-law-2","category-duty-to-defend","category-general-liability-policy","category-insurance-claims","tag-occurrence","tag-commercial-general-liability","tag-construction-law","tag-duty-to-defend-2","tag-insurance-coverage","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nDraft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage - Advise & Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage - Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Anthony Osborn – October 23, 2013 As most people reading this blog post are aware, construction lawsuits can trigger seemingly countless insurance coverage issues. For example, were the alleged damages caused by an \u201coccurrence\u201d as defined in the contractor\u2019s insurance policy? If so, did the damages begin and\/or end during different years, thereby triggering multiple… Continue reading Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-11-06T13:47:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\"},\"headline\":\"Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-11-06T13:47:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/\"},\"wordCount\":553,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"\\\"Occurrence\\\"\",\"Commercial General Liability\",\"construction law\",\"duty to defend\",\"insurance coverage\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Construction Law\",\"Duty to Defend\",\"General Liability Policy\",\"Insurance Claims\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/\",\"name\":\"Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage - Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-11-06T13:47:57+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"description\":\"Construction Expert Witnesses\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Advise & Consult\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"width\":162,\"height\":75,\"caption\":\"Advise & Consult\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage - Advise & Consult, Inc.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage - Advise & Consult, Inc.","og_description":"Anthony Osborn – October 23, 2013 As most people reading this blog post are aware, construction lawsuits can trigger seemingly countless insurance coverage issues. For example, were the alleged damages caused by an \u201coccurrence\u201d as defined in the contractor\u2019s insurance policy? If so, did the damages begin and\/or end during different years, thereby triggering multiple… Continue reading Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage","og_url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/","og_site_name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","article_published_time":"2013-11-06T13:47:57+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@adviseconsult","twitter_site":"@adviseconsult","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7"},"headline":"Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage","datePublished":"2013-11-06T13:47:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/"},"wordCount":553,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["\"Occurrence\"","Commercial General Liability","construction law","duty to defend","insurance coverage"],"articleSection":["Construction Law","Duty to Defend","General Liability Policy","Insurance Claims"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/","name":"Draft Your Lawsuit to Trigger Insurance Coverage - Advise & Consult, Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-11-06T13:47:57+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/draft-your-lawsuit-to-trigger-insurance-coverage\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","description":"Construction Expert Witnesses","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Advise & Consult","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","width":162,"height":75,"caption":"Advise & Consult"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com"]}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ztG6-zZ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}